If you were to build a track car, the $60,000 Kia K900 might not be the first thing you would pick as a starting point, but humans have certainly done crazier things. The Kia High-Performance K900 is a sportier take on the K900 luxury sedan — the most opulent and cosseting car Kia has ever built by a long shot. Kia envisions the High-Performance K900 as the perfect transport for ferrying racing drivers and autocratic race team managers between race tracks and the nearest five-star hotel. It’s possibly the narrowest market segment ever targeted, but we’re sure a sportier K900 could find interest elsewhere — particle physicists who play croquet, perhaps.

The High-Performance K900 features some pretty dramatic changes over the K900s you would find on the showroom floor. First, and most obvious, is the new one-off body kit that features some racy-looking carbon-fiber inserts. Gigantic gloss-black 21-inch wheels are mounted at each corner with some pretty serious multi-piston brakes peering from behind. Fortunately, it’s not just about the looks. The beefed-up K900 also benefits from forced induction, with the 5.0-liter V-8 taken to an unprecedented level of power for the Korean automaker. Check out the full details after the jump.

Kia K900 High-Performance in detail

If you fancy the Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge, than you will most certainly like the High-Performance K900

What’s particularly interesting about the High-Performance K900 is that it’s more than just a show car. Although Kia has some sort of experience with motorsport, this K900 is arguably the finest race-bred vehicle it has created yet, as it received input from Kia Racing drivers Mark Wilking and Nic Jonsson and LUX Motorwerks during development. And the result is impressive.

If you fancy the Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge, than you will most certainly like the High-Performance K900. Whether it’s the one-off body kit and its carbon-fiber inserts or the massive, 21-inch HRE wheels, this sedan is set to impressive on both the show floor and on the race track. The custom gray paint and the blacked-out chrome trim contribute to its menacing appearance.

Another unique feature are the 11-inch seatback monitors

There’s a lot to gaze upon in the cabin as well. The seats are wrapped in high-grade tan leather with black suede accents, with numerous bespoke touches altering the car’s standard interior. Another unique feature are the 11-inch seatback monitors that display in-car footage from iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations. This feat is supposed to help rear passengers gather information about each track’s racing line while traveling to the race course they intend to hoon their Kia on. Granted, this feature is rather useless to professional drivers, but quite useful to gentlemen racers or average Joes that like to spend their weekends at the track.

A Garrett 2871R twin-turbo takes the V-8 engine’s output from a stout 420 horsepower to an outstanding 650 ponies

The K900’s most important highlight lies in the trunk. Yes, in the trunk and not under the hood, because that’s where Kia decided to install the Garrett 2871R twin-turbo that takes the 5.0-liter V-8 engine’s output from a stout 420 horsepower to an outstanding 650 ponies. If you’re wondering why Kia chose to drop the turbo application deep in the trunk, it’s not so that the Koreans could win some sort of award for unconventional placement. As Kia explains, the turbo’s unusual positioning reduces engine compartment heat build-up under full throttle and keeps the sheet metal in its factory configuration.

Additional chassis upgrades, such as the lowered Eibach suspension and the Ksport brakes are supposed to keep the High-Performance K900 on its best behavior while on the track. Needless to say, we’re anxious to see this sedan post some fast Nurburgring laps.

Press Release

Team owners and drivers regularly arrive at tracks around the country in performance-oriented luxury vehicles.
Like their race car brethren, these vehicles are often customized to wring every last ounce of performance from their OEM roots. They sport modifications to the exterior, interior, wheels, tires, brakes, suspension, and engine—all in the name of more power and improved driving dynamics.
Kia Racing drivers, Mark Wilkins and Nic Jönsson, consulted with LUX Motorwerks, providing input into the kind of vehicle they would like to drive to and from the track, and the result is the High-Performance K900 debuting at today’s SEMA Show.

The interior features luxurious tan leather seats with black suede accents and bespoke touches such as 11-inch seatback monitors showing in-car footage from iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations to allow rear-seat passengers to learn or refresh their knowledge of each track’s all-important racing line while en route to the circuit.
In the trunk are custom compartments for a driving suit and helmet, complete with a ProDryer to remove perspiration following a long day of hard work behind the wheel.

The High-Performance K900 adds a professional-grade boost to the stock vehicle’s 420-horsepower, five-liter V8, thanks to a unique Garrett 2871R twin-turbo application visible through a viewing port in the trunk.
With an estimated output hovering near 650 horsepower, the turbo units’ unconventional placement helps reduce engine compartment heat build-up under full throttle and doesn’t require the removal of any sheet metal beneath the sculpted lines of the hood.
A lowered Eibach suspension keeps this special version of Kia’s flagship sedan planted and level, and Ksport 8-piston brakes paired with 15-inch cross-drilled rotors offer the confidence of control.

The High-Performance K900 ensures the drive to and from the track is as exciting as the drive around it.